Commission on Slice-Petruzelli: No Wrongdoing

The Florida State Boxing Commission’s preliminary investigation
into the Oct. 4 EliteXC matchup between Kevin “Kimbo
Slice” Ferguson and Seth
Petruzelli found no wrongdoing, according to Alexis Antonacci,
a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
representative.

In an e-mail to Sherdog.com, Antonacci said that due to the
findings in the preliminary investigation, there was “no need to
move forward with a full investigation. The case has been
closed.”

The investigation began four days after Petruzelli told the
Monsters in the Morning radio program on 104.1 FM in Orlando, Fla.,
that EliteXC officials had paid him to keep his last-minute bout
with Slice, a novice ground student, on the feet.

The state agency’s findings come three days after Pro Elite, parent
company to EliteXC, closed its doors after a life-saving deal for
its purchase by Showtime fell through. Pro Elite’s August SEC
filing reported that the company was more than $55 million in
debt.

FSBC Executive Director Thomas Molloy interviewed Petruzelli,
EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen and inquired with
both the Nevada and California State Athletic Commissions regarding
the promotion’s past conduct in their jurisdictions.

Molloy also contacted David “Tank”
Abbott, who lost to Ferguson at a Miami EliteXC event in
February 2008. Molloy asked if Abbott had been asked to fight in a
particular manner, to which the former UFC superstar answered, “No,
nothing was said.”

Though Pro Elite officials denied any misconduct on Oct. 4, at
least one employee has stepped forward to voice his doubts
following the company’s demise.

Thompson also said two EliteXC employees expressed their confidence
to him cageside of an arrangement that had been made with
Petruzelli before the fight. Thompson said he alerted Pro Elite CEO
Chuck Champion the next day.

“I sent Chuck Champion an e-mail basically telling him my concerns
the day after, and after talking to him, he made it clear to me
that isn’t what happened and I had to go with his word,” Thompson
said.

Thompson was not listed as one of the sources interviewed by the
commission during the investigation.